On 9 August 2017 at 17:14, Steve D'Aprano <steve+pyt...@pearwood.info> wrote:
> On Wed, 9 Aug 2017 07:12 pm, Chris Warrick wrote:
>
>> So, I started by writing my opinion of those recommendations, and that
>> the “community” is very small (<1k Twitter followers, 2.7k Facebook
>> likes). But then I went to the “About Us” page, and found your name
>> and your profile picture there. Native advertising is evil and rude.
>> You made it sound as if you were an user, genuinely looking for help
>> in learning Python. But in reality, you just want people to visit your
>> website, get ad revenue and potentially get people to join your
>> community.
>>
>> Shame on you.
>
> Why is this shameful? Why shouldn't people make money from their Python
> expertise, if they can? Do you oppose people who get paid to program in
> Python?
>
> If you're opposed to advertising, use an ad blocker, or just avoid the site.
>
> So long as the website isn't *exploitative* (ripping off other people's
> content
> without providing any added value) there is nothing wrong with promoting it
> here. It is on-topic, and if it provides some added value (not just a link
> farm), doesn't serve malware, then let it compete for eyeballs and hearts and
> minds on its merits.

Advertising

I’m not opposed to advertising on websites[0], or to paying for
expertise. I am opposed to the way the original post was phrased — it
was a textbook case of native advertising.
Wikipedia says: “Native advertising is a type of advertising, mostly
online, that matches the form and function of the platform upon which
it appears.” (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_advertising )
The original poster sent a message that looked like a genuine call for
help by someone looking to learn Python. They somehow found the
list[1] and want our opinion on it. But that wasn’t the posters real
motive: the motive was to get people to use their website. And this is
not okay.
Compare the second revision (with [Repost] in the Subject line) — that
one has clear information regarding the poster and their intentions,
and it’s perfectly fine in my book. The damage was already done
nevertheless.
[0] As long as said advertising is not user-hostile.
[1] It appears as the 10th hit in Google for “python tutorials” over here.
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Chris Warrick <https://chriswarrick.com/>
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